Chimps go back to the jungle
Twycross Zoo’s new Chimpanzee Eden is fun in the jungle - for both visitors and apes alike. ISAAC ASHE went along to check it out
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HEN you think of Twycross Zoo there’s one animal which springs to mind. Yes, they’re loved all over for creatures including giraffes, leopards, gorillas, meerkats, bonobos, orang utans, penguins and even for the elephant herd which is currently packing its trunks and moving to Blackpool.
And of course, there are the monkeys - oh so many monkeys. But the animal attraction is, and always will be, synonymous with the chimpanzee. It’s an ape by the way (monkeys have tails).
In the zoo’s early days, dating back to 1963, chimps were among the first animals there and quickly progressed to star status.
Fame followed in the form of the PG Tips adverts, and even film appearances for some of the Leicestershire zoo’s troop - which in turn helped the zoo’s fortunes and establish it as the global leader in primates it is today.
But those days of tea parties and dressing up are most definitely a thing of the past - and the zoo’s new £3.5million investment in an amazing new enclosure is testament to that.
The Chimpanzee Eden - it’s name surely a nod to famed conservationist Jane Goodall’s chimp reserve in South Africa - aims to give the zoo’s star attractions a more natural habitat, and it succeeds.
As you approach the front of the new building the first thing you notice is a great grey slab of wall which did seem foreboding as the shadow it cast blocked out the bright May sunshine - but as you get closer the wide open glass window on the perimeter opens up a view of the world behind it.
It’s a world of huge climbing frames and rolling green grass that looks so much fun my two daughters aged eight and 11 wanted to explore it for themselves!
It seems that the chimps are still getting accustomed to their new surroundings, and as such are yet to be allowed out - but I imagine they’ll like it a lot when they do.
Heading inside though the doors you enter a jungle-themed walkway, filled with seats, vegetation and hidey holes complete with atmospheric sound effects.
It’s stimulating and engaging for young visitors to play in and around, peeking around corners and sitting in tunnels not really meant for grown-ups (even though I tried).
On the chimps’ side of the glass, indoors is also a huge expanse - it’s 1,160sqm in total inside and out say Twycross.
It goes up high too - something that was lacking in the dated space they were previously housed in, with nest spaces and ropes and plenty to grab on to in the rafters.
The group seemed quite at home in their new space, dotted around the enclosure, and the views the variety of vantage points offered of their goings-on were quite stunning.
That said, you didn’t need to catch a glimpse, as the chimps seemed quite happy to be gawped at. Most of them were sat at ground level, near to the bigger windows - I guess to gaze back out at the visiting crowds.
One seemed to amuse himself by pouting with kissy lips to draw in the crowds before giving the glass a bang - and the children a bit of a fright.
Opening the new space up last month, the zoo said it was aiming to create “outstanding” facilities for both animal welfare, research, education and visitors. And having seen this facility first hand, I can think of no better word than outstanding to sum it up - from the point of view of both the Twycross chimps and the zoo’s human visitors.
One seemed to amuse himself by pouting with kissy lips before giving the glass a bang – and the children a fright Isaac Ashe